[Cazzb]

Hi,

Just got my first allotment this year and have been trying different types of squash. I bought some jack be little seeds from premier seeds direct and was really excited to see my first pumpkin start to grow.

However fast forward a few weeks and it’s become very clear that the seeds I received are not jack be little as my ‘miniature pumpkin’ is now closer in size to a watermelon. This has left me a bit stuck as I have no idea what I’m growing so can’t tell when to harvest it. Pretty sure it’s a squash of some kind but it could be a round courgette, a larger pumpkin waiting to turn orange or something else entirely.

Is there anyway to identify the type of squash you are growing from the leaves, flowers or fruit?

Thanks

[JayG]

Is there anyway to identify the type of squash you are growing from the leaves, flowers or fruit?

There are so many different types of squash, and although there are differences in leaf shape, colour and growth habit they are relatively subtle and it's very hard to make an identification from that alone.

You would be very unlucky to have finished up with an inedible ornamental gourd - you can't really 'over-mature' a squash or pumpkin on the plant, just look for signs that the stalk is starting to shrivel and the skin is very hard, then harvest to eat or store (certainly before the first frost strikes.)

When it is mature you may be able to match it up with a named variety by doing a Google image search (the fruits are a bit more easy to identify than the plants themselves.)